Wauwatosa Guitarist Loves What He Does

By Joe K., Hartland, WI

Greg Koch is forty-two years old, and he remembers when he first wanted to play guitar.

“When I was twelve, my older brother and I listened to Cream on the radio. When I heard their songs and Eric Clapton’s guitar playing, I knew that I wanted to be a part of the music world. So then I pestered my dad to get me a guitar,” he says.

Like many aspiring guitar players, Koch picked up the methods fast and started a band with some friends. “That was when I realized that I was good,” he says. His band played songs from his inspirations such as Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Paige and Eric Clapton.

Since then, he has been playing in front of crowds at local festivals and at Summer Fest. He never gets sick of it, and he always looks forward to pleasing the crowds. “It’s the best when I get to innovate my style and everything I’ve learned and the crowd responds in a positive way,” he says.

Koch’s favorite music doesn’t come from too many modern day bands. He likes the sound of Hendrix and other famed guitarists of the 1960s and 1970s. “I respect many modern day bands and guitarists and their style, but they just don’t have the same awesome sounds like Hendrix and Clapton do. I mean I like music from Radiohead, Foo Fighters, and Red Hot Chili Peppers, but that’s about it,” he says.

While performing on stage, Koch plays not only famed songs from bands, but also material he has written himself. “I like both my songs and other band’s songs. When I put my songs out there and people request to hear them, it’s a very memorable experience,” he states.

Koch loves what he’s doing so much, he’s going to keep doing it until the day he passes. “It just never gets old,” he says. His twelve year old son, Dylan, who also plays in a band, is not his protégé on guitar, but is so on the drums. “He’s got some talent in drumming,” he says. Koch also thinks it would be nice if he left a lasting impression on the world after he dies. “For my kid’s sake, it would be fantastic if my legacy had continued on.”

Subscribe

Get Teen Ink’s 48-page monthly print edition. Written by teens since 1989.